Mind trip
by afterglow81
Summary: {movie-verse}R just in case I guess... Doc Ock survived but is forced into hiding, after an incident in robbing an apartment it becomes known he is back. He also forms a bond with a young artist named Chloe who is a mystery in herself...
1. Chapter 1 Army of Me

Ok, so I'm giving writing a try. I've had this idea for awhile. Yes, it's a Doc Ock fan fic (movie Doc Ock). Erm, most of the characters are loosly based off my friends…and yes, I wrote myself in there (hey, I haven't been lucky in the relationship realm and I'm thinking this helps somehow...yay for self gratification). Sorry if it's kinda' bad….I haven't written in ages.

Oh, and I relate a lot of the chapters to songs (I usually find a song to listen to while typing a chapter….so yeah, I will periodically be quoting songs).

Chloe, Sam, Tami © me

Doctor Octopus, Harry Osbourne, Peter Parker, Spiderman © Marvel comics (gods at work!)

**Chapter 1.**

Army of Me.

"_And if you complain once more_

_you'll meet an army of me"Bjork_

Nightfall in the city. As the sun goes down the streets light up. Buildings become illuminated with dozens of lights like one gigantic Christmas tree. Night also has an uncanny knack for bringing out the stranger creatures of the city. Men clad in purple Mohawks and enough jewelry to send the metal industry out of business, woman with white make up caked on beneath pitch eyeliner looking like odd porcelain dolls.

A crisp breeze fell upon Doctor Otto Octavious as he stood atop a large building looking down on the rest of New York. He gazed awhile as he finished a cigar, eventually grunting in disapproval at the streets below. He drew up his collar, briefly pausing to feel the back of his neck. Cold metal; a constant reminder of his past, present and future.

_It's time_ a small voice hissed at him.

"I realize that" he growled before flicking his cigar over the building and without hesitation began to climb down the building.

The building was a large apartment complex. He was on a mission for money. Unfortunately a life of crime had driven Otto into hiding, only to occasionally emerge for money and at times an attempt at normality.

He was once the most feared villain in New York. He was waiting. Waiting for the most opportune moment to come back. Part of him wanted back that life of crime, of destruction and anarchy. Another part wanted nothing more that to lead a relatively normal life. Close to the life he led before the accident.

These were the thoughts plaguing the mind of Otto Octavious as he scaled the building briefly pausing to look in upon the various apartments in the complex. These were the thoughts that constantly plagued his mind.

Finally he stopped at one. He made sure to keep out of sight as he peered through the partially opened window.

Inside was a young woman. She looked to be in her mid-twenties. She was covered in paint. She worked frantically on the canvas sitting in front of her

"Oh brilliant…I'm robbing an artist" Otto thought to himself.

After a few minutes the young woman sighed rather disapprovingly, set down her brush and pallet and walked out the door to her apartment.

"Perfect" Octavious said under his breath and with one quick motion he opened the window fully and swung inside. He looked about the apartment once he was inside.

It was decently sized with its own loft. There were various painting supplies strewn about the living room on a small table. Various paintings hung about the walls. Paintings of the city, of people. Out of curiosity he glanced at the most recent work. Spiderman.

"Of course" Otto sneered "Everyone loves the bug…"

He carried on rummaging through the apartment, when the door opened.

There stood the girl.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!?" She exclaimed.

She dropped her mug at the sight she saw in her kitchen.

There standing in front of her was a man. He was tall and decently built with thick brown hair that fell in front of his face. He wore an olive green trench coat and sunglasses. He turned to look at her along with the four mechanical arms protruding from his back which were now all fixated on the young woman, mechanically hissing and screeching at the rude surprise.

Without warning one tentacle reached out to grab her. She nimbly dodged and sent a side kick straight into Otto. He gasped as he lost his breath. He hadn't anticipated that. As he fell backwards one of the tentacles reached out grabbing a kitchen drawer for support only to rip it off of its hinges sending the drawer and various dishware crashing to the floor.

"You asshole! Those were my only dishes!" She yelled.

Octavious regained himself and again swung at her with one long tentacle, she tried dodging only to be tripped by the tip of a large claw. She rolled to her feet and immediately spun around to kick again, this time catching Otto in the shoulder. He reached to grab her, she quickly ducked and rolled between his legs. Before he could turn to face her and before she could react in time a tentacle with one swift move grabbed her and pushed her against a wall. Otto moved in close to her. She was now face to face with Doctor Otto Octavious.

"Well, my dear it appears you've had some training" He said coolly.

"Yeah. Black belt. Thanks for asking..." She managed to spit out as she tried to struggle free from the grip of the claw.

"I'm sorry to say, that won't be enough when dealing with the likes of Doc Ock" He growled as a rather large blade protruded from another tentacle.

She struggled more

"I wouldn't struggle, I'll only be more tempted to crush you" he calmly explained with a smirk.

As he said this there was a sudden, strange change.

"Something's not right" He thought as the tentacle holding the girl retracted and she fell to the ground gasping for air. Otto stumbled back a few steps, bewildered. He wasted no time, made his way to the window and quickly disappeared.

The girl regained herself and ran to the window screaming obscenities to the stranger who disappeared into the night.

"Chloe," A male's voice interrupted from the door "What the hell happened?"

"Sam, you are not going to believe this…"Chloe sighed


	2. Chapter 2 Soylent Bean

Alright, so here's Chapter 2.

Hopefully Chapter 1 didn't suck too much (yay for self deprecation). Um, this would be the calmer side of Otto showing through... Also, the name "Soylent Bean" is a name me and a fellow co-worker decided we'd name a coffee shop if we ever owned one (yay for geek references). Um, Soylent Bean is loosely based off the old coffee shop I worked at (before it closed down.)

I realize the song I picked may seem odd. But it fit the atmosphere of the coffee shop.

Chloe, Sam, Tami © me

Doctor Octopus, Spiderman, Harry Osbourne, Peter Parker © Marvel comics

**Chapter 2: Soylent Bean**

"_Have you ever smiled for too long?_

_Til you're aching?_

_Have you ever laughed til you cried?_

_Til your heart is breaking?"Moloko_

Sam and Chloe sat in the living room of the apartment watching TV. Chloe was feverishly sketching while Sam was deeply immersed in a batch of negatives. The newscaster began talking about a bank heist that took place the same night as the incident at the apartment. Chloe non-chalantly looked up from her sketch pad, her jaw dropped as she listened to the newscast.

There on the screen was a picture of the same man who broke into her apartment!

"Upon further investigation of the bank it is believed that Doc Ock is back. He is armed and extremely dangerous" The anchor reported

"Hey! That's the jerk who broke into the apartment!" Chloe shouted.

Sam looked up from his negatives and glared at the television screen.

"Oh, that's Doc Ock…" He said as if it were the most common knowledge on the planet.

"Yeah, I caught that genius" Chloe sarcastically said.

Sam shrugged "He nearly destroyed New York just over a year ago. Everyone thought he was dead. I just read about it in the Daily Bugle"

"Ok, I wouldn't know…I just moved here five months ago" Chloe stated.

Chloe glanced at the clock.

"Crap. I gotta' get to work…I'm closing up tonight, so I'll be home late…see if you can call the repair man and ask if it wouldn't be too much of a bother to repair the kitchen" She said eying the still empty cabinet and the hole in the wall where she had nearly been strangled. She shook her head before walking out the door.

Otto decided to go for a small walk that evening. He was able to keep his extra appendages hidden with a flap he put over his coat which he had designed specifically for such occasions. It was rare that he could enjoy the city like this. He walked along the cold streets pausing to take a deep breath

He laughed a little to himself "Ah, New York smog…clears the sinuses" he thought.

For the most part, he was able to keep his four mechanical arms quiet. However, once in awhile they were able to overcome him… such as the previous incident. Such was the dilemma of Otto Octavious.

People didn't recognize him without the tentacles, so he was able to walk the streets at ease. Otto was used to the biting winters of New York City. However, after a long while of walking and losing himself in his own thoughts he came to realize he indeed needed something to warm him up. He walked a few more blocks before seeing a bright neon sign reading "Soylent bean" there was a small sign in the window reading "fresh coffee".

He chuckled at the name of the coffee shop

"Clever" he muttered as he walked to the door.

He walked into a small, dimly lit building. It was decorated in Christmas lights and Chinese lanterns. Paintings both beautiful and strange hung about the walls. Photographs of anything and everything filled the various spaces on the walls as well. Music blared from a large stereo system and smoke filled the air.

Otto grabbed a seat at a small table with the latest edition of The Daily Bugle sitting in the middle. On the front was a picture of him with the subtitle "Doc Ock still alive! Spiderman let us all down!" He smirked as he opened the paper.

"Aw...They never seem to capture my good side" he thought as he began reading.

He eventually heard some movement as an employee came to help him. He then felt a cold familiar twinge as a voice softly hissed

_KILL_

Before he could respond he felt an almost immediate burning sensation and a new voice, one vaguely familiar but not in this way responded…

_Think again…_

Otto peered over his paper, over the silver rims of his sunglasses to see her standing in front of him.


	3. Chapter 3 Coffee and Cigarettes

Whoa...sorry about the wait to those who may have been reading. I've been _insanely _busy! I'm back in school (made it out of last semester with a 3.5, w00t! hoping to make dean's list), working (technically 2 jobs; retail and teaching kids Tae Kwon Do -don't get paid for that yet) and mad rehearsal scheduals (did I mention I'm a theatre major?)...aside from that I'm moving soon! Anywho, enough about my busy lil life, chapter 3 is up! I'm still trying to develop the characters more so sorry it's taking awhile...also, geek points to anyone who gets the title to Chapter 3. ;)

**Chapter 3. Coffee and Cigarettes**

_"Look into my eyes and it's easy to see_

_One and one make two_

_Two and one make three_

_It was destiny" Tenacious D (Tribute)_

Chloe stood glaring at Otto. Her eyes blazing colors of reds and yellows, a cigarette dangling from her lips…Otto for a moment was taken aback by this.

"Ah, fancy meeting you here…"he said slyly as he regained his composure

"Oh, cut the crap, I know who you are" Chloe said coldly

"Really…" He said slowly as he rose a bit from his chair, ready to reveal himself to the coffee jockey and the customers, ready to rampage. He regained himself, realizing now was not a good time.

"Be that as it may, I really am just here for something warm" he said sitting down again and picking up his paper.

"That's great….wish I could help you" Chloe snapped, turning her back.

"Look. I'm not here to create any problems…I simply want some coffee, then I'll go on my merry way and leave you to your pitiful existence" he said through gritted teeth, his anger rising with each word.

Chloe moved in closer to him, took the cigarette from her lips and looked him straight in the eyes.

"I'll see what I can do…Sir" She said as she slowly put her cigarette out on a small spot of table directly in front of Octavious.

She turned on her heel leaving Otto to stare at the smoldering cigarette in front of him. He glared at it for a moment before burying himself in The Daily Bugle again.

"Incompetent girl…" he thought as he delved deeper into his article.

A few minutes passed and Chloe returned with his coffee. She slammed it down in front of him before saying;

"There's your coffee…Oh, and if you could clean up your mess it would be greatly appreciated" She pointed at the cigarette.

Before Otto could even say a thing, she leaned in closer

"Oh, and make sure to tip well; I'm going to need a new dish set and repairs to my apartment for Christmas" She smirked as patted Otto on the shoulder before returning to her post at the coffee bar.

The night pressed on. People came in to escape from the cold for a moment and tell their stories to the young barista. Otto found himself staying much later than he'd anticipated. He had already read through The Bugle twice and enjoyed his coffee thoroughly, yet found himself actually relaxing. Truly relaxing….he for a few moments felt completely content with himself. It had been a feeling he hadn't felt in a long time. So he stayed and enjoyed the atmosphere of Soylent Bean.

He oddly enough found himself watching Chloe after awhile. She had spilled some espresso on herself. However, she kept good humor about it and joked with the customers who'd claimed their spots at the coffee bar. He watched as she listened and advised on various aspects of their lives as well.

She was actually quite attractive…she wasn't glamorous per say, but she had a tom-boyish charm to her. She had small facial features, a small frame, long red hair pulled into a loose ponytail and big, normally blue eyes. She was dressed in a long skirt made from an old pair of jeans and various fabrics she'd accumulated and patched on various odd spots and a plain blue fitted t-shirt.

Otto wasn't curious about her looks however; he was more curious about the sudden change of color to her eyes when she confronted him…or how it seemed she was able to get into his mind.

Eventually, the customers all cleared out. Chloe put on some lighter music and began closing things down. She was listening to a compilation with Sinatra as the first track.

"You have surprisingly good taste in music…for a starving artist" said a familiar voice behind her.

She half smiled and raised an eyebrow.

"Someone is feeling gutsy it would seem" She said as she flipped through her cds.

"Actually, I was going to ask for a last cup of coffee and then I'll be out of your hair for good" Otto finally said.

"Fair enough" she said in an aloof manner as she grabbed his cup and refilled it before starting to clean the espresso machine.

She finished cleaning, chucked the dirty rag into a bin, did a little cheer for herself and lit another cigarette. She looked up to see Otto still drinking his coffee.

"Do you mind?" she asked indicating her already lit cigarette.

"Not at all" he replied as he looked into his cup.

She pulled up a stool behind the counter across from him

"Good" she said blowing a large amount of smoke into Otto's face. Before he could get angry or even respond she continued

"So, what's the deal?"

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"I mean a couple days ago you were threatening my life in my own apartment and destroying my kitchen…I figured I was either going to have to find a new job or change my name and residency after running into you again. Then tonight you come in, are a jerk, as usual….only to later in the evening chill out and act like a normal human being" She said as her anger rose slightly.

"I can occasionally control myself" Otto said getting a little frustrated.

"You mean you can occasionally control _them_" she said pointing to his back where various hisses and screeches sounded beneath his coat.

"I do know what they're saying you know…" she said.

Otto simply raised an eyebrow as he took another sip of his coffee.

"How'd you wind up with them anyway?" Chloe asked as she ashed her cigarette in a small ash tray on the counter.

Otto explained how they were originally designed and used for the fusion based energy source he had been working on for Oscorp, how he had miscalculated something which ended in the device and the arms becoming permanently fused to his spine.

"Wow…" she finally replied "That's something straight out of a comic book!"

Otto laughed at the remark.

"What about you? In all my years, in all my studies I've never witnessed anything quite like some of the psychological feats you've pulled" He commented.

"Um…unsure" Chloe said rather nervously "As you may have guessed, I can read and even control minds. The eyes change when I'm angry, upset, happy, sad or controlling someone's mind especially. Doctors haven't been able to figure me out….Oh, was I they're favorite guinea pig as a child. I've been this way as long as I can remember" She sighed and went quiet.

She laughed a little "I think they first discovered I wasn't quite normal when at the age of 3 I was controlling my friends…causing them to dance like marionettes for my own entertainment" The both laughed a bit at this.

"So why did you decide to move to The Big Apple?" Otto asked.

"Oh! You're out of coffee; I'll refill it for you…on the house!" Chloe nervously said as she grabbed his coffee cup.

He sat a bit confused by her reaction to such a simple question. After she finished refilling his cup she turned to Otto seeming to have regained herself.

"I suppose the main reason I moved to New York, is because I heard a lot of freaks live here" she said as she looked at Otto "I guess I heard right"

He smiled at the joke, though in the back of his mind was seriously questioning her previous reaction to his question.

The wound up talking to well into the night. Chloe finally looked at the clock.

"Wow! Its 2am…I should've been closed 2 hours ago!" She exclaimed.

"Sorry to have kept you" Otto apologized

"Don't apologize. I like talking to new people. I've never talked with an super villain/ Doctor of Science before…I have to admit, you're most likely the most interesting customer I've had in a long time…and believe me, I hear some of the strangest things behind this counter" She said.

Chloe finished closing up Soylent Bean. Moments later she and the Doctor emerged onto the cold streets; it had been snowing most of the night and still was.

"Much as I enjoy the snow and the cold, it's going to be a long walk home" Chloe sighed as she put on a pair of gloves and pulled up the collar to her trench coat.

Otto was looking upward.

"Are you afraid of heights?" he asked removing the flap of his coat as the four tentacles flailed about wildly hissing and screeching at him for keeping them hidden for so long.

"Not really…." Chloe managed to utter, before she could say anything more Otto picked her up and she was scaling the building. They moved across the buildings in silence. She greatly enjoyed the view of the city from here. She couldn't help but smile.

Before too long they arrived at the complex.

"Thanks for the coffee" Octavious smiled as he began climbing down the building. Chloe watched as he disappeared into the night. She calmly walked down to her apartment through a doorway on the roof. Silently, making sure not to wake up Sam, she unlocked the door and made her way up to the loft. She quickly and quietly got ready for bed. She looked out the window briefly and smiled at the events of the evening.


End file.
